Avalanche conditions/ Observation posts.

[Fattwins 0]

Peaker finish the story.

[peaker 0]

So where was I.just about to drop. Now dont get the wrong idea. This little ridge thing a the top of the slope wasnt big or intimidating I just pointed and went. I got a bit of air as expected but as soon as a hit the snow below the drop it all went wrong. Everything just collapsed. It was like falling into a bear pit or something, you know the big hole covered in leaves and twigs. It just goes crack and down you go. Any fantasies you have about boarding out of it just dissappear. Its sudden. Next thing I knew I was in what was like a current in a river. I stuck my board out and tried to stop I could feel the snow flowing around my back and it was getting higher applying more weight trying to flip me. I could see the slide growing in front of me as more snow slid downhill. Needless to say I was crapping myself, I thought this is it nobody saw you go down here and if this thing gets any bigger you are stuffed. Then it was over, the slide just stopped on a flatter section of the slope. I was upright about waist deep. I extracted myself and looked back up the slope. Id probably only been taken about 30 meters and there was about another 30 meters of debris in front of me. I cruised back down and had a beer. Later on I took my girfriend up and showed her the slide (from the opposite side of the valley) we got to see about three other guys ride the same face obviously totally uninterested in the evidence of recent avalanche activity.

I made a few big mistakes that day and I was just plain lucky.

Things not to do in future.

1 remember its your buddy who digs you out, your beacon wont save you if there is nobody there to locate it. Think carefully about riding BC alone. (If nobody in your group has the gear or knowledge to rescue you you are riding alone)

2 Dont get sucked in by the" Its just near the resort" factor.

3 Try to learn about hints that tell you a slope could be dangerous (I was actually happy that morning that the high winds overnight had covered over yesterdays tracks! I didnt think "windslab"

[Ocean11 0]

 Quote:

Any fantasies you have about boarding out of it just dissappear.

I like that bit. Very much to the point, I'm sure, for almost everybody.

[Fattwins 0]

Nice story.

 

My friends were sking Out back once and one of them cut too hard up above and buried the other friend above the waist and in the trees. 2 other friends dug him out.

 

And I know a couple of season pass holders, guys who died near the coquhala check point in Canada. They had rode the same area once or twice that day but a friend cut above them as they were hiking and 2 of them got caught in a slide with 1 breaking his neck.

 

One of the best videos on avalanches is by the Colorado forest department. I think it was them videoing their own dept. skiing a line about 7 to ten years ago. they did it right and by the books. one at a time and then heading to the safe zone. the last or next to last skier of a party of 12 or so caused a massive slide that took him into the trees killing him. the dept said that even though we took procautions and he was by far not the first skier to turn there that day, nature can do what it wants when it wants to. The scariest part was the fact that if it was me seening all my buddies fly down first, I would not be nervous like going first just relaxed much like the guy was. just be careful